Moving in together? Who will pay the bills?

It would appear that in most Irish homes it is the “woman” of the house that looks after paying of the bills and managing the household purse.  Every household differs, but each family devises their own plan to manage their household.  Each member takes care of the various areas of maintaining the house according to their ability and strength.

If you are only starting out and plan to set up home together there are a couple of areas to run through before you do.  Make sure you discuss who will be responsible for what in your new home.  Up to now you have only had to be responsible for yourself and you have your own ways of dealing with bills and managing your money.  Changes might be needed when you are living together and it is best to sit down and discuss what will suit your home best.

Money is the biggest cause of arguments and conflict in a relationship so sort out money issues before you move in.  To avoid the blissful dream turning into your worst night-mare it is better to set out the guidelines regarding the running of your home and avoid those unnecessary arguments about money or household chores.

The task of planning the household budget is made easier by using BillsManager.com.  Follow the step by step instructions and you will get a clear picture of how much you need to put aside either weekly or monthly to pay for your household bills.  When you know the figures, open a separate bank account for “bills”.  Set up standing orders to automatically lodge money in and with the companies you need to pay so that the money is there as the bills fall due.

On-going maintenance of your budget can be done through BillsManager with a monthly update by exporting your transactions from your online bank account.  This should take no more than 5 or 10 minutes and will automatically update your bills and your cash-flow forecast.